Why do people still use Regular?

I was just reading on a low carb diet forum and a type II posted that they use Lantus, metformin, and Regular and I was wondering if anyone here uses Regular or knows why on earth it would be better for anything than Humalog or Novalog or isn't there another similar new one. I was thinking maybe there are some people who have a bad reaction to the better fast acting insulins? I just cannot imagine any scenario that would make Regular seem like a good idea. For one thing, I never think, "hmmmm, I am really gonna be hungry in five and half hours, so I'd like to do some insulin NOW." lol

If anyone here is loving their Regular, I mean no harm. I'm just really curious about this. There is probably something I'm missing...

Good question. I look forward to reading the comments. I haven't used Regular insulin since 1996. Like many here, I'm hoping for new insulins with a shorter onset, faster peak, and shorter duration.

I was dx'd about 6 months before Humalog came out and started on just NPH, I think, once a day. Is that even possible? I was definitely honeymooning so maybe I didn't need basal coverage at night. I believe that NPH was the only long lasting insulin then, in 1993. How did people even get through the night?

After maybe a couple of months they started me on R and that stuff was such a nightmare. I think the NPH peaks were a little softer somehow but R would always knock me on my ■■■ at that 5.5 hour mark. I think that may have been when I started gaining weight... trying to feed that freaking Regular.

When Humalog came out, I felt like I had been cured, at least for a minute. lol It is so, so much better, though. Can you imagine if we were all still having to use R? Ack! I have to remember this when I start feeling sorry for myself. I could have been stuck with R... lol

I used R and N until 2008 as I was "fine, I don't need to do anything different..." LOL. I think R may have some utility for pizza/ pasta/ cheese fries due to the different curve that deploys kind of in line w/ that sort of stuff...

I don't miss it.

I just read your bio (very interesting! makes me want to start Tae kwon do!) and that means 24 years on R and N! Wow! I do see where it could be helpful with the dreaded pizza.

I use R regularly. The drawback is its peak time being around 2hrs so its not as convenient as humalog but it lowers your sugar over a longer period which could be good or bad depending on whats going on. The big advantage is its much cheaper and can be bought without a prescription. If your hanging around the house or at work and you know when your eating its a fine substitute for the others but if your out and about its more challenging. In the end we need beta cell replacement therapy or a truly smart insulin that works when we need it and not when we don't. BTW I still use NPH for my night dose.

Ahhhh. Yeah, I thought I remembered you don't need an Rx. If something happens to my insurance, I'll have to remember this.

I liked martial arts a lot and I think that making progress in that (which is sort of inevitable...if you keep at it and work hard...) helped me realize that I could put a bit more energy into "sparring" with diabetes and get good results there. I stopped when I moved and switched to running. The flip side of R/N is the "rollercoastering" was constant and, when I took the pump classes, either the doc or the MiniMedSalesNurse made the point that N had only a 53% chance of "peaking" when it was supposed to, giving it a much wider range and, perhaps, explaining a lot of the anomalies in numbers I experienced over the years? I used it for a weekend when my pump blew up last summer on the Saturday of the 3 day fourth of July weekend and I was too lazy to bother going to get an Rx for lantus. It wasn't as bad as I thought but I think I took a lot and ate a lot to "be careful"?

Related to using Regular for pizza: if you have slow digestion, as I do, or worse yet Gastroparesis, Regular can be very useful. When I eat a fairly large mixed meal (usually dinner), I take 1/2 or 2/3 the total insulin in Apidra and the rest in Regular (two different shots, not a mixed shot in one syringe). The Apidra covers any potential spike, and the Regular gives the long lasting effect necessary for slow digestion.

I use the Regular at one other time: first thing in the morning, I need some insulin to give me some basal until my morning dose of Levemir begins to act. For this I do mix the two insulins in one syringe: one unit of Apidra and one of Regular.

It's hard to stay stable on MDI with slow digestion, but using Apidra, Regular and Levemir works for me.

Back in 1984, I too started on one dose of NPH per day. I then moved to two NPH injections per day and added regular for meals.

There were other long acting insulins before 1993. I briefly used Lente, once per day, for my background insulin before I finally started on a pump in 1987. With Lente, I had some mind numbing lows at the 24 hour mark. I can't know for sure but I attributed the lows to the complex addition of the Lente with Regular.

I agree with you. The modern insulins are much improved over the older Regular formulation.

One reason R is used despite it being an older insulin...well a couple of reasons...for one it is a considerably cheaper insulin, for those who are under insured or no insurance it is considerably more cheaper to use. Even with really good insurance I pay around 77 dollars a month for my 3 vials of Humalog.

I agree it is a lot harder on R/NPH, I was on that for over 27 years. The nightmare highs and lows were AWFUL.

I'm T1. I use Regular, Apidra & Levemir. I have gastroparesis, a neuropathy effecting the vagus neve that causes delayed stomach emptying. Digestion is highly unpredictable with gastroparesis. With Apidra, I have lows after eating & then highs later when food hits & Apidra is gone. I need the longer action & slower response of Regular. I use Apidra to correct highs & for breakfast & lunch bolusing. Dinner is the most frustrating meal regarding digestion. Regular works beautifully for my evening situation. So, yea, I love it.

Regular takes about 45 minutes to kick in.

That's a big co-pay! My copay is 25 no matter how many bottles, but I'm going to have a ton of co-pays pretty soon. Right now it's Humalog, Lantus, and strips, but I'll be adding two more drugs I think, a statin and something protective for my kidneys. I can't even imagine what this would be like w/o insurance.

I'm happy there's something that works right on your time frame. That's kind of cool.

For a low carb meal with protein in it... humalog can just kick in too fast.

Regular really is a pretty good match to a lot of complex meals. Meals that aren't necessarily high carb but have proteins or fats.

I used Regular and NPH for 23 or 24 years and by the end I had really gotten pretty good with using it in a basal/bolus MDI routine. Yeah, I had to take regular well before many of the meals and the NPH was spread over 4 little shots 6 hours apart, but given those timing details it worked out pretty well for me.

Now I use Lantus and Humalog and I'm getting better at it but I'm not honestly sure I'm as fine tuned as I was with NPH + Regular.

Why we still have Regular? I think it's Cost.. It's no longer on the Paten list to get their high prices for it
and as soon as ( if ever) The Logs become the same, R will go by the wayside as well

I recently was going to do a Test with using some R and went into Wal Greens and asked How much for it?
$63 per Bottle!

I looked at the Pharmacist and Said R U Sure about that? And She said yes..
I laughed and said Wal Mart has it for onyl $24, why are you ( WalGreens) asking so much more for it?

She had no idea..
I told her, that is Highway Robbery and outright Theft
Thus I went to Wal Mart and got it
and Yes, I have been Complaining to Walgreens as well.. moving up the ladder thru Corp. offices

I also caught my VA for Charging me Brand Name Prices for Other Meds I get ( pills) when in fact they are Generic.. Can be bought thru Wal Mart for $10 for 90 day supply

The VA charges $27 for the same 90 day supply..
Reglardless if it is Generic or Brand Name

And Guess what they mostly give out? Generic..

My Congressman and Senator said they will look into it..

I'm sure they will..

So Contacted my VFW and American Legion and got them on the Band Wagon now..

Using R for Pizza and Slower Digetsing Foods? Yeah, I used to do that too
Fact is? Those first few hours your sugars will go Up, till the R kicks in
Thus Need to take both a Log and a R..
I just take the Log and In 2 hrs take a 2 hr bolus and its been fine ever since, doing that.
Been 7 yrs now..doing that..

And Like Terry- Ditto- We Need A Shorter Onset, Faster Peak insulins.. These Logs take Way too long..
Especially for Corrections..

Both my Humalog pens and my Lantus pens were $60 copays. And since Im now on a pump and am getting 3 vials of Humalog my copay was around$77. Even Levemir for the month I tried that mess was a $60 dollar copay. Unfortunately most of these newer insulins do come with higher copays. You are really fortunate with your you are getting Humalog and Lantus for such a low copay.

Wal-greens does charge a VERY high price for their regular/NPH insulins. When I was taking 70/30, I could get it at wal-mart or target around 24-28 dollars. But not at Wal-Greens. Sometimes there is difference in prices among the two brands as well. Humalin and Novolin.

I had terrible reactions to all human insulins - hypoing up to 8 times a day! Sooooo frustrating! Not to mention embarrassing. Then someone saw me sitting on the base of a font in a church stuffing myself with sweets. I had no idea who he was but he asked me straight away what insulin I was on. I told him that I was on Lantus and something else - Novorapid I think. He then proceeded to tell me my history and symptoms and gave me the web site of an organisation campaigning for patient choice. They sent me their welcome pack and when I read some of their stories about reactions to human insulins it was as if I was reading my own story!

I started trying for pork insulin and was promptly dropped by my local diabetes clinic - for knowing too much. They knew better. It took me 2 1/2 years to find someone who would listen to me, and I can safely say, after being on pork insulins I am soo much better!

Different people react in different ways to different types of medication but I see no reason why just because the majority (so they say) can get on with it, that those who cannot should not be allowed to try something else!

Lately I was using R , 6 shots a day every 4 hours as a substitute for my 2 shots of lantus. Works ok and is much cheaper. This is only an experiment and I will return to lantus , R and apidra.